How to save the future
by leliana McKay
Summary: John comes back empty handed from his search for a missing friend, however he finds clues about what the future holds and gets to interfere with Rodney's love life. Spoilers for 4x20 The Last Man. A Sam/Rodney fanfic if you read to the last chapter! .
1. Prologue

**How to save the future.**

**By LelianaMcKay**

Summary: John comes back empty handed from his search for a missing friend, however he finds some clues about the future and manage to interfere in Rodney's love life.

Spoilers: This is supposed to take place after **4x20** **The Last Man,** according to the spoilers we have at the moment.

Pairing: Sam/Rodney

Disclaimers: nothing belongs to me. This is just for fun! Thanks to by wonderful beta Ellymelly!!!

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_Prologue_

Once again, the search for the missing Teyla had been unsuccessful. John had followed a lead from an ally claiming to have seen Teyla in the company of Michael on an abandoned trading planet but it had been a waste of time. It was therefore with a heart wrenching feeling of despair that John walked back to the Gate knowing that he had failed her once again.

As he dialed the Atlantis address he promised himself to never give up, especially after what had happened to Elizabeth.

The wormhole engaged and gave an unappreciative twitch as John stepped through it. The usually uneventful ride turned out to be quite shaky, and John had to fight to keep his balance as he stepped unsteadily out on the other side.

_Well… that was weird_ thought John as he walked further into the Gateroom. His eyes blinked a few times as he slowly realized something was very wrong. He was defiantly back on Atlantis but this was a different Atlantis. The air felt dry, hot, almost unbearable to a human being. He noticed then that the Gateroom was empty with the sound of the wind the only other living presence.

Where was he and where was everyone?

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_On to chapter one..._


	2. Chapter 1

Thanks for reading my little prologue.

Warning: this might reveal some pieces of **4x20 The last Man** 's plot.

Now let's start the fun!

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**Chapter 1**

On the deserted Atlantis

John slowly climbed the stairs to the control room, taking in the orange light coming from the surrounding windows. When he finally reached the top he went directly to the outside balcony but the door would not open. "_Damnit!"_ he exclaimed. He painfully managed to get through using his arms strength to open it.

A strong wind suddenly filled the open space, a wind full of sand that got right into his eyes. John shielded himself with his hands to avoid more damaged to his eyesight and watched dumbfound as the usual blue ocean he expected to see was replaced by an immensity of sand.

_Crap_…was his only thought at his sudden take of the situation.

Back inside, John shook the remaining sand from his hair and looked for any indication of what might have happened. The main and auxiliary controls seemed out of power. "_Great!"_ He exclaimed out loud.

He took out his sensor reader and noticed a small energy signature from the holo room. John decided to go check on it.

Upon entering the room, a eerie glow appeared revealing an old man right in front of him, bathed in a silver light.

The man in question was staring at John. He was oddly familiar despite the grey hair and civilian clothing. It was his piercing blue eyes that intrigued John and told him that somehow he knew this man. When he finally spoke, John Sheppard recognized his voice immediately.

"John?"spoke the hologram.

"Rodney?" whispered John, a surprised look on his face.

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_So what do you think?_

_I love reviews by the way!_


	3. Chapter 2

Thank you for reaching chapter 2.

This part is a bit longer.

So what does Rodney have to say to John?

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**Chapter 2**

Back to Present Day, briefing room

"Oh! It was me?" exclaimed Rodney happily, almost clapping at the thought.

"Yeah, it was you. Well, a holo-you. A old grumpy hologram if you ask me," added John, rolling his eyes at Rodney's evident excitement.

John had just returned from his future experience and had requested an immediate debriefing with the team. Sam, Rodney and Ronon had joined him as soon as he mentioned Teyla and that he had new intel.

"I'm not grumpy!" exclaimed Rodney reproachfully.

"Rodney!" exclaimed Samantha Carter with a tone of warning before turning back to John. "So you came back empty handed from your search but landed in the future where an old hologram of Rodney told you where Teyla is?" summed Carter.

"Yes. I was coming to it," added John continuing his tale.

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Back to the future , the holo room

"This is weird!" said John, more to himself then the hologram.

Rodney clearly thought the situation was normal because he rolled his eyes at John's statement. He actually had been waiting for this moment for a while.

"Not really! However, I can't believe you are alive. I mean we all thought you would come back but WOW! So you were in the future all this time!" exclaimed Rodney, moving his hands very quickly in every direction.

John was getting this daydream feeling and somehow felt he would just wake up back home with the real Rodney pestering him with nonsense, "Ok… So this is the future?"

"Hello! Unless you didn't pay close attention to your surroundings, of course this is the future. Maybe seeing me that old is some kind of joke to you, huh?" declared Rodney sarcastically, pointing his index finger at John. The transparent finger left John wondering how Rodney could be conversing with him and not be really here.

"And you are what?" Inquired John, walking around Rodney to check for anything to help him understand the scientist's sudden appearance.

"AI hologram!" announced Rodney proudly.

"Really? You created an artificially intelligent hologram of yourself? I wonder if your ego can grow any bigger," sniggered John as he took a closer look and passed his right hand through Rodney.

"Ahah! Funny!" said Rodney, crossing his arms in front of him.

Rodney still had his sarcasm ready to kill and John felt relieved by the sense of familiarity. However he still had no idea what was going on and how he had ended up here.

"What happened to Atlantis?" he asked while still looking around the room.

"Long story cut short. We all died. That is Earth people and Atlantis people…well the human race in its entire being."

"How?"

"We got attacked by evil green aliens that can control the mechanism of the universe better than us. You know I'm not supposed to tell you that much. I'm supposed to tell you that to save us all you need to save Teyla and destroy Michael's army!"

"Save Teyla, save the World?" joked John, when an episode of the Heroes series came back to his mind.

"Yeah, that sounds right." declared Rodney, unaware of the joke.

"You have been watching scifi again," laughed John.

"Hello! I'm a hologram! This is the real world!" said Rodney pointing to himself and taking a few steps into the room. "You know how complex it is to create an interface capable of…"

John cleared his throat and came back to the point not wanting Rodney to start explaining some very complex physics to him, "So how do I find Teyla?"

Rodney stopped moving and looked at him seriously, "She is aboard Michael's ship orbiting M34778."

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Back to present

"Ok! Let's go then," declared Ronon, speaking for the first time since the meeting had begun.

"Wait!" John stopped Ronon as he stood up from his chair. "I'm not finished. This bug army is not our only problem. Rodney told me how Michael's army created a bigger rift among the human alliances and somehow pissed off the wrong aliens. Those are the ones who will kill us all."

Everyone in the room started at the thought. Sam looked pensive… How many more enemies would they have to destroy to have peace?

"So in order to save the universe we must stop Michael's army to bugger this new race?" concluded Rodney.

"Yes," answered Sheppard simply.

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_Hehe! So what do you think?_

_Like it?... then go to chapter 3_


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks again for reading the previous chapters!

Now on with the story...

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**Chapter 3**

Back to the future

John had stopped pacing and was looking intently at Rodney.

"Does that mean we didn't save Teyla?" asked John horrified by the thought.

"I'm not saying that. Listen, you just need to go back and change things before it's too late."

John sighed, "Ok, fine. How do I go back to my own time? When are we anyway?"

"About 10,000 years in the future…"

"10,000 years!!!" screamed John.

"We all died a long time ago. You just happen to be real late Sheppard!" Rodney gave him a small smile.

"Right! So you seem to have lived a long time seeing the state of your hologram. Anything exciting while I was gone?"

"I can't tell you," declared Rodney.

John had always been a curious guy so even if he had heard Rodney talk about time paradox and the danger of time travelling, he just wanted to know more.

"Come on! You want me to change the future! Telling me what happens about a now improbable future is not wrong."

"Oh! I don't know. Maybe," answered Rodney deep in thoughts, not really sure how to argue against that.

"Come on! Tell me more," insisted John.

"Well... alright"

Rodney began his long story. John's disappearance had just been the beginning of it. Rodney went on about this new race and how powerless Earth had been to fight them, having to send refugees off world… when Rodney stopped talking John couldn't believe so many catastrophic events could happen in a lifetime.

"So that's why I need to find Teyla at that exact moment…" he began, uncertain as to where to start.

"And her baby!"

"Right and her baby…"

"He is special. Look, don't ask me anything else. I already told you too much to have a clean conscience. I fear for the fabric of the Universe! Just go back to the past, find Michael and Teyla and save us all. Oh and prevent me from blowing anything up."

Rodney had become quiet and looked ill. A particular memory seemed to have triggered this reaction and John watched his friend lose his composure for a moment.

"What are you not telling me?" John raised a eyebrow at the weird query.

"Just do as I say and you might save Earth and the rest of the human race."

"You can't be a bit more specific?" insisted John.

"Sorry. I already told you too much, you know time paradox and such" said Rodney with a few more hand waving actions.

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Back to the debriefing

John left out many things, time paradox and such. The knowledge he now had of the future could save them from deep troubles.

"Rodney was a bit cryptic with his warning and explanations but I think we can do it," started John, looking confident enough.

"Destroy Michael's army? Piece of cake! Stop Rodney from blowing anything ...that will be harder," said Ronon teasingly at Rodney.

"Hey!" exclaimed Rodney, complaining at the abuse.

Everyone smiled at Rodney and John look at him calmly, "That's true. You did tell me to stop you from blowing anything!"

Sam looked suspiciously at John, he was teasing Rodney but also had a mischievous look on his face.

"You are not telling us everything, right? Rodney told you things he shouldn't have?" inquired Sam.

"Sorry, I can't tell you. Time paradox and such. There are some things in the future that might not be worth changing or at least sound like they shouldn't be changed," said John cryptically.

With one final suspicious look Sam ended the debriefing, "Ok everyone. Let's have a tactical meeting about the recon mission to M34778 in two hour. John you still need to report the infirmary. You are dismissed."

Everyone stood up and Ronon was the first to leave the room followed by John.

However, a few steps outside the room, Sheppard turned back to look at Carter and McKay chatting about time travel paradox.

The moment John had come back from the future he had noticed that things were somehow different around him. Old Rodney had said too much right, but it gave John a great strength, now he was able to see things and understand more of what was going on in Atlantis. He could not fathom the idea of having travelled somewhere nobody did and knowing that their future could lead somewhere where everything was death and devastation. He was the only one who knew how to change things for the best. Now he needed to act…starting with Rodney.

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_Ahah! Here come the shippy bit... final chapter_


	5. Final chapter

This if for Elly!! Thanks again for beta reading.

**Final chapter**

**

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**

Outside the briefing room, present 

John was not sure how much influence he could have on the future but while still in the corridor John remembered the revelation Old Rodney had let out. It was something that still left John speechless and thoughtful.

The future was indeed very surprising.

* * *

Back to the future

"…right. So now about sending you back, I designed a program a long time ago. It's hidden in my lab, you know the usual spot?"

" Hmm? Rodney, wait! Before you start on that topic, can I ask you a personal question?" began John, hesitant.

Rodney looked surprised by the request, "Sure John. But you know I can't tell you anything about _your_ future since you were not there."

"No it's not about that. I am talking about your life. I was wondering... well you broke up with Katie so, in the future did you hook up with some else? Got married?" added John teasingly. The last bit was meant as a joke but once John saw Rodney's smile, his own disappeared.

"As a matter of fact, I did!" answered Rodney proudly. "But don't you dare interfering," pointed Rodney accusingly.

"Really! Who?" gaped John, eyes wide with wonder.

"My dream girl." The simple answer was scary enough to John_. No way _he thought!

"CARTER?" John exclaimed loudly.

"Shush! No so loud!" pleaded Rodney.

"There's no one here." _Yeah, right like she could hear us _thought John.

"Oh! I forgot," said Rodney twisting his thumbs.

John couldn't stop staring at Rodney, "I can't believe it."

"I can't believe you guessed!" complained Rodney. "Well, it might not happen since you are going to change the past. But we were happy or at least until the big bad aliens arrived..."

* * *

Back to the present.

John observed Sam and Rodney as they continued to talk about time travel. He hadn't noticed that before but they seemed to be enjoying their daily arguments. Today was just another disagreement, Rodney was trying to convince Sam she was wrong about the effects of time travel on structure of the universe. John unconsciously smiled, they were both geniuses and understandood each other's techno babble, but he had no clue about what the content of their conversation meant.

Both scientists were smilling at each other despite the argument. His time travel experience and meeting old Rodney made John realize that he didn't know his friend as well as he should.

_Was it all a joke? I mean come on! Rodney married to Samantha Carter it had to be a joke. She would never be into him. _He thought.

John, with a new found resolve, decided that he should do something to find out before it actually drove him insane.

He came back into the room still thinking about it.

"It can't be true," he stated out loud, making both scientist turn their heads towards him and stop their conversation.

"What?" asked Rodney, looking at him as if he were crazy.

John hesitated when both scientists looked at him expectantly. "Forget it!" John shook his head and headed to the door.

"What?" asked Rodney, clearly annoyed by John's unusual behavior.

John turned around and asked, "Could the two of you stand closer together?"

"What?" asked Sam, confused by John's request.

"Look, just… just do it. It won't kill you I promise," said John rubbing his brow to ease the headache coming.

Rodney and Sam looked at each other, puzzled by the weird query. They took a few steps closer and stood looking questioningly at Sheppard.

John observed them carefully, it was a bit disturbing for Rodney, and he caught Sam's glance to make her see he thought Sheppard was clearly insane. She shrugged at Rodney in response.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on? Did something else happen in the future?"asked Rodney impatiently, crossing his arms in front of him while looking at John.

"Well I'm trying to see if he was telling me the truth."

"Who?" both Sam and Rodney asked at the same time.

"Well, the old you of course! I kinda asked him a personal question and he actually answered me," explained John while still trying to decide if what he was seeing was more then two coworkers chatting about physics.

Sam warned John, "Maybe you shouldn't be mentioning whatever it is?..."

Rodney looked at John warily, "What question?"

John ignored Sam's suggestion and looked at Rodney, "I asked him who he hooked up with." Sam turned to Rodney, eyes widening at the implication.

Rodney glared at her thinking she was mocking him and turned back to glancing at John.

"So? Why do you care? Couldn't you ask about your own future?" declared Rodney angrily.

John began to think Rodney was really stupid at times, "I wasn't there!", "Well… wait a minute? It doesn't even surprise you? You could at least pretend to be surprised!"

"What?"asked Rodney, genuinely lost.

"Well, you got your dream girl. You hooked up with her!" he said, pointing at Sam. "I mean I know you have had a crush on her for ever but don't tell me you expected to actually marry her one day?" asked John surprised

Rodney's eyed widened…

"Woah..." exclaimed Sam, realizing where all this was leading. She took a step back from both John and Rodney.

Rodney seemed unfazed for a moment. "Are you sure I wasn't joking? I mean you know me. I joke about that kind of stuff all the time."

John smiled, "You seemed pretty sincere but when you realized there could be a time paradox thing you did say that you were not going to tell me more."

Sam was standing still next to Rodney, careful not to touch him. She cracked a smile at Sheppard before saying_. "_I'm sure he was joking!"

John watched as Rodney dropped his eyes to the floor at her words. _Well, time to be a friend and take action_ thought John.

"Rodney," At his name the scientist looked up at John. The future _you_ also mentioned that I talked to you about that_." Well, that's not entirely true but you don't need to know that, _thought John.

"You certainly did not…"

"Not yet, so here I am. You must listen to me." John cleared his throat theatrically.

"You have been in love with that woman for five years now so…. you can act according to your feelings now or you get over her and move on_."_

Sam suddenly gripped Rodney's shoulder to make him face her. "You have been in love with me for FIVE years?"

"NO! I have not!" he turned to Sheppard pointing a finger at him. "Don't you dare!"

Sheppard shows his palms, "I didn't say anything."

"You just did!" exclaimed Rodney outraged.

"Ok, maybe I did. So deal with it," said Sheppard cheekily.

Sam was still shocked upon hearing the revelation. Yeah, Rodney had been calling her sexy for a while when he was still a jerk, but now he was just acting like a normal person. She needed to understand, to know why. "Rodney?"

McKay sighed, fidgeting he finally admitted. "Not that long…"

"Oh…", so it was true, Rodney loved her. She was left speechless.

"I should leave now," John said, neither Sam nor Rodney paid any attention to his departure, both engrossed with watching their feet.

In the corridor John smiled to himself, He might have interfered with destiny or whatever you call it, but he did Rodney a big favor…at least he thought so.

"I'm sorry." began Rodney. "Forget it. Forget everything, it doesn't matter."

Sam watched him leave, heading toward the door.

"That's it? You are gonna give up before even trying?" argued Sam.

That stopped him right there, holding his breath… not sure what to make of her words.

"Don't you find me petty, arrogant and bad with people?" he asked, slowly turning to see her reaction.

"I…" she started, hesitating, "…not anymore. You've changed."

"But it doesn't make me boyfriend matetial, right?" said Rodney, looking dejected.

"I'm your boss."

"And you're my friend" declared Rodney. "I don't want to lose that."

Sam felt like she had been kicked in the gut. Rodney really had changed a lot during the past years.

"Am I? Your friend that is?" she asked, touched that Rodney trusted her enough to count her between his few friends.

"I would like to believe so. After everything we have been through, all the time we spend working together, we might be. Listen, Sam. Please, ignore this. Let's just go back to normal."

"You love me, Rodney. It's not something you can turn off like that."

"Then what do you propose? That I fall for someone else? Because the last time I checked my supposed girlfriend dumped me."

"Maybe it wasn't a brilliant idea to date someone you didn't love," Sam pointed out.

"I could have loved Katie," Rodney argued back.

Sam raised her eyebrows at that.

Rodney began to feel angry, "Why are we even having this discussion? This is not your business. If you don't care about me then let's just forget about it."

After a moment, Sam looked at him and whispered, "I guess I care after all."

Rodney's anger deflated and turned into a smile. Sam shared a smile with him. Maybe there was still hope for the future.

**The end!!!**

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_Reviews are love...please tell me if you liked!_


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